All Because of Christmas
by MaeglinRumil
Summary: Ash and his friends bump into Gary a few days before christmas and decide to spend the holiday together. Palletshippy/Shishi. Shounen ai COMPLETE!
1. chapter 1 (revised)

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Title: All Because of Christmas (revised)

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Author: Heart's Blood

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Email: zeni24@hotmail.com

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Rating: PG13 

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Summary: It's Christmas and Gary and Ash still hasn't told each other they loved the other. Their friends, Ritchie, Misty and Brock decide to play matchmaker, but it doesn't turn out like they expected...

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Author's Notes: Shishi!!! That's all I gotta say

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Disclaimer: Pokemon's not mine. Though I'd love to have espeon... it's so cute!

*** change of POV or time gap

"speaking"

'thinking'

__

telepathetically speaking (most likely from Mew) 

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All Because of Christmas

by: heart's blood

ages:

Ash Ketchum - 16

Gary Oak - 17

Misty Waterflower - 16

Ritchie - 16

Brock Slate - 18

"Oh come on, Gary. We'll help you!" Misty, Ritchie and Brock were trying to convince Gary to get Ash something for Christmas. When they found out that Ash was gay, it took them awhile to adjust to it, but eventually they did accept it. Nothing of their relationship with him had changed and they were still the best of friends. But when they found out that Gary liked Ash back, but they didn't know if, they began to play matchmaker.

It was Christmas in the land of Johto and Ash and his friends had stayed at the Pokemon Center in Goldenrod to help Nurse Joy take care of the pokemon and decorate the center. They had bumped into Gary who had also stayed and decided, without any complaint from Ash or Gary, that they would spend Christmas together as a tiny family.

Today, Ash had gone out by himself with Pikachu to buy presents for his friends and pokemon. Now he was in his room, working on Gary's present, whom Ash wanted it to be perfect because he was going to tell him how much he like him.

"No, no and no!" Gary could feel himself turning red at the mention of the young League Champion's name. He backed away from Ash's estatic friends.

"Come on Gary. You can tell him how much you love him!" Ritchie exclaimed, jumping up and down on the couch in the waiting room.

"Nuh uh..." Gary shoook his head. The fear that his dark haired angel would laugh at him didn't hurt as much as the fear that he would lose his friendship. They had just started to become best friends again and Gary didn't want to lose the closeness they had together.

"Now just between us," Brock sat down beside the red Gary, "You do love him so very much, so you should tell him!"

Gary shook his head once more. There was only one way out of this torture. "I don't like him! I HATE Ash! He's a pathetic loser who can't even train his pokemon right!" As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he knew he was going to regret them. Especially when he heard something between a whimper and a sob come from someone behind all of them.

When he turned around, his heart almost stopped.

Ash, looking beautiful in his black cargo pants and his giant green sweatshirt stood at the door, with Pikachu at his feet. His long black bangs were in front of his face, covering the eyes that Gary loved so much. In his hands was a beautifuly wrapped gift.

Being at the age of 16, Ash had grown to be a very handsome young man. His boyish and innocent face was still on shi face and sometimes his friends thought that he couldn't get more naive, but they knew that he had grown. He was very tall now, not as tall as Gary, but you could see the muscles on his upper body from his pokemon training.

As Gary snapped out of his day dream when he saw a few drops of water fall to the ground. Tears...

"Pika..." Pikachu whimpered, feeling her trainer's sadness.

Misty looked to the young League Champion to his best friend and back again. Ash hadn't cried since... since his mother and everyone else was killed when Team Rocket destroyed his hometown, Pallet Town. (Just a note: This is a bit AU and Team Rocket actually didn't destroy Ash's hometown...)

Gary felt his heart crumble when he saw his best friend crying. 'Oh God, what did I do? Ash... I'm so sorry...' He thought. A bit later, he finally picked enough courage to speak. "Ash..." He said hesistantly.

At the sounds of another human's voice, the black haired boy brought his head up, his eyes meeting with Gary's

The flame-haired boy almost drowned in the pain and despair that his best friend's eyes held. He looked away, not wanting to see how much pain Ash was going through.

Ash took this as an answer to his unasked question. 

No...

It was true...

'Why did I ever think that he would like me back?' He berated himself. Without thinking, he dropped the gift he was holding and ran out the door, into the dark of a cold December night.

His faithful Pikachu dived for the present. She knew exactly what was inside and she knew that it had costed Ash a lot to get it made. He had confided in his pokemon, Pikachu especially, when he was choosing the gift. Thanks to her training, the yellow electric rat was able to catch the present and with a "pika" she handed it wordlessely to Gary, giving him a tiny shock for making her trainer so sad.

Then she ran out the door. "Pikapi! [Ash!]" She called, but it was no use. Her trainer was out of sight. "Chuu... [Noo...]" Pikachu wailed, the tears running down his cheeks as she ran from the room and jumped in Ash's bed, burying her grief in the blankets which still held his scent.

Misty was ready to start yelling at Gary for making her best friend cry, when Brock gave her a let-Gary-be-alone sign. She nodded and silently took Ritchie's arm and they walked out, leaving Gary to his regret.

The left redhead boy looked blurrily at the gift before him. "I'm so sorry, Ash..." He said, hoping that the wind might somehow carry his words to the one he loved. Then he took the present and examined it. Just by looking at how it was wrapped, Gary knew that Ash took a lot of his time and money to make it. 

The wrapping paper was a metallic purple colour. His favourite colour. He carefully pulled at one end of the red ribbon and the wrapping paper came undone. There was no need for Gary to get scissors to cut it, or to ripe it. Ash had thought of everything.

Then he looked at it. Inside was a tiny box, whichi held an intricate and delicate sculpture of a poketo pokemon. An eevee. His eevee. The first pokemon that he had gotten. Also the one that he had stolen from Ash, 14, almost 15 years ago. He knew that Ash didn't mind because he had his beloved Pikachu, but the fact that he hadn't trusted Ash... Gary knew that that had hurt a lot. And was one of the main points why their friendship hadn't last.

Gary took the sculpted eevee out an peered at the bottom. There was something engraved there. It said:

__

To Geru-chan,

Merry Christmas.

Your best friend forever,

Ash

Just those few words caused Gary's eyes to water. He clutched the eevee close, careful of not breaking it and he cried for the first time in many, many years. 'I'm so sorry, Ash...'

***

Ash ran. He didn't care where, he just needed to think. He looked at his surroundings and found that he had just passed the Radio Tower, but he ran some more. Only when he needed to breath, did he stop running and look around. The Azelea Forest. He knew where he could find a cave where he could spend the night in. Walking while looking for it, he thought, 'I'll go back in the morning. Pikachu will be worried.'

Unknowingly he ran into a sleeping Beedrill and it's stinger dug deep into his shoulder. But he didn't even notice it, too busy thinking about Gary.

He sat down inside the cave and curled up. 'God it's cold...' He wrapped his arms around his legs and fell asleep, not feeling the tiny prick or the poison which spread slowly through his body.

***

"Pi..." Pikachu sighed after everyone was asleep. She had cried herself dry, trying not to think of her poor Ash out in the dark and cold night. Unknowingly, she had accidently pressed onto one of the red and white poketo-baruus that held the rest of Ash's team. A red glow came from the ball and Squirtle appeared.

"Squirt ttle Squirtle? [What's wrong?] He asked, moving his round, blue head to one side.

"Pikapi kachu pi. [Ash ran off.]" Pikachu told him.

"Squirtle squirt? [He abandoned us?!] The tiny blue turtle asked, shocked. It didn't seem like Ash to do that to them. He had always treated him very nicely, just like his best friends.

"Chuu... [Noo...]" Pikachu wailed.

Squirtle took this as denial and he patted the upset pokemon's back. "Squirttle... [it's ok...]" He said softly. "Tle squirt squirt. [We'll get through somehow.]"

"Chu! [No!]" The yellow electric pokemonhouted, horrified that Squirtle would think that Ash had abandoned them. "Pika, pi pikachu, kachu pikapi... [Gary said that he hated Ash, so he ran off crying...]" She explained.

As soon as Squirtle heard this, he was mad. "'ttlee Squirtle squirt... [As soon as I get my hands on him...]"

All of Ash's pokemon knew how much their trainer cared for Gary. They all knew that he was going to tell Gary about his feelings during Chrsitmas.

"Pika pikachu pi kachu... [We need to find Ash first, we don't want a Ash-sicle...]"

Squirtle giggled at the thought but stopped when he caught the muderous glare that Pikachu had sent his way. "Squirt! [Alright!]"

Together, they pulled out all off Ash's pokeballs and released the pokemon inside.

"Zar! [I was sleeping!]" Charizard protested loudly.

"'ba saur bulba? [Is it morning already?]" Bulbasaur asked sleepily.

"Chiko ri chiko? [Where's my Ash?]" Chikorita asked, looking around the room. Then finding no Ash, she frowned.

"Mew..." Mew yawned. _Why are we up so early? _She asked everyone telepathetically.

"quil da... [I'm hungry...]" Cyndaquil said then fell back asleep against Pikachu.

"Pi ka CHUU! [Quiet!]" Pikachu gave them all a tiny shock. 

Everyone turned towards her and they tilted their heads to the left, almost mechanically. "[Hmmm?]"

Pikachu and Squirtle took turns telling them the story, but Squirtle was exagerating it a bit. Okay, well more then a bit. "[So Gary slapped Ash and they rolled around fighting, and then when he realized what he did, Ash took a knife and-]" He stopped after Pikachu gave him a giant shock, just not big enough to wake everyone up. She almost fried the poor turtle, then while she waited for him to recover, she told them the right story.

"[Why he!]" Charizard roared out loud. He and the other pokemon were about to stomp out when the smaller, yellow pokemon stepped in the way.

"[We need to find Ash before we get a Ash-sicle.]"

Everyone laughed at the joke, but Pikachu didn't funny it funny at all so she shocked them again.

"[Oww...]" Bulbasaur complained. Although he was a grass/poison type and they aren't easily fried by electric types, Pikachu was almost at level 100 and she was pretty powerful. (Remember, Pikachu frying Brock's Onix?)

Nodding, they all set off out in the cold while Pikachu looked around one more time. Surprisingly, no one was awake. As she passed Gary, she noticed that he was holding the sculpture her trainer had made for him, and that his face held tear marking.

'Maybe he does care...' Pikachu thought as she followed her fellow pokemon on their search to find Ash.

***

"Pikachu? Pikachu? Where are you?"

Gary woke to the sound of Misty's shrill voice. "Morning Gary. Have you seen Pikachu?" The redhead burst into the waiting room where Gary was just starting to get up.

He shook his head and yawned.

"Crap! Ash is gonna kill me for losing his first pokemon!" Misty said, frowning. She was heading towards Ash's room when Gary called to her. "Oi, Misty! Maybe the other pokemon know!"

Misty stood there and looked back. She smiled slightly and Gary was glad that she had forgiven him for making Ash cry. "Thanks." Then she ran out, shouting Pikachu's name on the way.

Gary smiled a bit, then remembering what had happened the night before, he frowned. 'Oh no... what did I do?' He asked himself. Before he could burst into tears again, Ritchie walked in yawning. "Hey..." He greeted Gary sleepily. Brock followed him in, already dressed in his pink apron, obviously ready to help Nurse Joy and her Chansey with breakfast.

"It's time for breakfast!" He called out and the two teens walked over to the tables and sat down while Brock went to the kitchen to cook.

He, Nurse Joy and her Chansey made a terrific breakfast, but Gary ate almost none of it. He wasn't hungry. He smiled, thinking of how Ash would be stuffing his face if he were here at the moment. 'Ash...' Gary remembered. 'I need to apologize.' He was about to stand when Misty walked in, holding six pokeballs in her hands.

She was dressed in happy colours; yellow sweatshirt and a pair of jeans, but her face held a frown.

The guys all looked towards her. "What's wrong?" Ritchie asked his girlfriend. (I did mention that they were going out right? Opps... Gomen) Misty sighed and sat down in the empty chair beside him. She looked around at everyone's face then sighed again. "They'll all gone... and Ash hasn't come back yet..." She told them, placing the pokeballs on the table in front of her.

Gary panicked and his face paled. "Shit..." He muttered under his breath, then he raised his voice to speak. "What do you mean he hasn't come back yet?" He asked.

Misty looked tiredly towards the angry teen. "I mean, Ash never came back last night."

"You mean he's still out there?" Ritchie asked. He was wide awake now that his girlfriend had just stated that his best friend was out in the cold and stormy December day. Misty nodded.

Brock lookd at the people at his table. Gary was furious at himself and both Misty and Ritchie looked as if they were goingto faint any time soon.

"Let's calm down." He said, talking for the first time since the redheaded Cerulean Gymleader walked in the room. "I mean, his pokemon aren't here right? Then that means Ash took them out with him. He'll be fine. No one can beat his Pikachu." He tried to reassure his friends, but they were not easily reassured. 

Misty shook her head, disagreeing. "Ash left without his pokemon. Pikachu and the others must be out in the cold searching for him right now."

Gary was so pale that he looked like a ghost. "Wait... it's not like it's Ash's first night out by himself... right?" He asked when everyone gave him an uneasy look. "Right?" He asked again.

They all looked at each other, searching for a spokesman/woman. Ash had never been out by himself. He first day he left Pallet Town, he met up with Misty and then Brock and Ritchie Joyned. They have been travelling together ever since, and they never left each other's side.

Looking at the faces, Gary already knew the answer. And it was a yes. "Holy shit..." The brown-haired rival of Ash's swore and reached for his coat.

"Wait, we're coming too." The friends grabbed their own coats and they ran out the door, leaving a wondering Nurse Joy who had just walked out of the kitchen with her Chansey.

"Um..." She asked no one. "I guess that means you're done... right?

***

"Pikapi! [Ash!]" Pikachu called out frantically. No one answered. "Pikapi! [Ash!]" She called again.

Behind the giant Pokemon Radio tower, she could hear Squirtle calling out for their trainer as well. "'squirt!!! [Ash!]"

In the distance, the yellow rodent could also hear all her friends looking for their lost trainer, but to no luck.

Then she thought she heard Misty, Ritchie, Brock and Gary calling out Ash's name as well. Her sharp ears pricked up, but she didn't hear anything else after. Sighing, she went to find the others, hoping that no one was watching them and mistaking them for wild pokemon. 'Damn... Mew...' She thought. She would have attracted lots of attention. Not many people encounter a Mew; meaning that Ash was one of the luckiest people to catch one.

[Mew?] Pikachu thought telepathetically. She knew that Mew could hear her.

And she thought right because a few seconds later Mew answered her. 'Yup?'

[You okay?] Pikachu asked. 

'Of course. Never been better.' Mew said.

"Pi?" Pikachu was confused that she didn't notice that she had spoken out loud instead of thinking what she said.

'I turned myself into a human boy.' Mew explained. 'I figured my appearance would make people... excited.' She chuckled lightly.

[Well thats good.] Pikachu sighed in relief. [Tell the others to find somewhere that we could hide. It's almost night.] She felt Mew nod in her head and felt the tingly feeling which meant that Mew had left her head. 

***

On the other side of town...

"Ash?" Gary called out. "Ash!" His voice boomed off the alley and echoed back. Then, seeing a flash of pink, he stopped. "Ash?" He asked hopefully.

It wasn't.

A pink cat-like animal flew past him and into the darkness. One moment it was there, and when Gary blinked, it was gone. 'A Mew?' Gary thought. 'But then... waitaminute...' He argued in his head. 'A Mew is wayy too rare... It's not possible...' But something was familiar about this pokemon. Sitting on a bench under a lightpost, he thought hard. Then it came to him. 'Ash has a Mew!' Gary remembered almost fainting when he saw Ash win his title of Pokemon Master with a Mew by his side.

He jumped up and tried looking for it. 'It must be looking for him!' He concluded. If he could find the Mew, then he might find Ash!

But walking around only gave him exercise and no further clue to where the young Pokemon Master could be. Several times he thought he saw some of Ash's pokemon around, but when he looked closer they seemed to disappear.

'Please Ash... be alright...' Gary thought into the night sky.

***

Although Gary didn't know it, Ash was anything but alright. He had spent his day trying to avoid any wild pokemon, but it was unsuccessful. His last encounter with a Scyther proved it. (Yes I know Scyther's cannot be found in the Azealea Forest, but I don't know what else to put here. Plus, it's my story.) He had deep cuts down his back which he had tried to stop the bleeding, but to no avail. His arm felt as if it was lead. He couldn't move it, and he was also starving to death since the last meal he had was last night's dinner.

He had tried crawling back to Goldenrod, but he couldn't find his way. His sight was too blurry that he couldn't even tell which way was up and which way was down.

Unknowingly to him, he had crawled the wrong way and ended up in Azealea Town. He finally slumped down at the entrance. 'Please... Pikachu... Gary... help me...' was his last thoughts. Then he fainted and everything turned black...

***

"MEW!" Mew shrieked as she woke up from one of the worst sights she's ever seen. She saw Ash... Her Ash. Her trainer. And he looked horrible. His jet black hair stuck to his face with something. Something red. He didn't look too well. His clothes were all covered with dirt and most of all, blood.

"Pika? [What?]" Pikachu woke up the Mew's yells. "Pikachu chu pi? [What's wrong?]" She asked.

'It's Ash... I found him...' Mew said. 

Pikachu's heart was overjoyed. But she knew something was wrong. Nyuu would be happy if their trainer was found. "Chu? [What is it?]" She asked the pink cat-like pokemon frightfully.

'He's... he's... not too good...'

***

heart's blood: There's one chapter!! I'm thinking I should change my name.... my MSN name is Heart's Blood... maybe that... well, Read and Review! Look for the next chapter! Ja ne! 


	2. chapter 2

Title: All Because of Christmas  
  
Author: Heart's Blood  
  
Email: zeni24@hotmail.com  
  
Rating: PG13  
  
Summary: It's Christmas and Gary and Ash still hasn't told each other they loved the other. Their friends, Ritchie, Misty and Brock decide to play matchmaker, but it doesn't turn out like they expected... shounen ai  
  
Author's Notes: Chapter 2!!  
  
Disclaimer: Pokemon's not mine. Though I'd love to have espeon... it's so cute!  
  
*** change of POV or time gap  
  
"speaking"  
  
'thinking'  
  
telepathetically  
  
All Because of Christmas  
  
by: angel zeniko-chan  
  
It's been a bit more then 2 days since Ash's been missing. Brock had gone to Officer Jenny to file a missing person's report because Gary couldn't do it himself. He felt that everything was all his fault. If only he hadn't...  
  
"This just in. The new League Champion, the youngest one in history, Ketchum Ash, has just been declared missing. He was last seen running from the Center a few days back. Reasons are unknown. His pokemon, a Pikachu, Charizard, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Cyndaquil and a Mew-" (this raised many heads,) "- are rumored to be searching for him. Their whereabouts are unknown as well. If anyone has seen any or them, please report to Ash Ketchum's friends in the Center."  
  
Ritchie turned off the radio, knowing that it was bugging Gary. He patted the brunette on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I bet you he'll walk in right now with a goofy smile and laugh the whole thing off." Before he could say more, the door opened and a bunch of frantic pokemon rushed in.  
  
"Pika!" A Pikachu ran in front. Tears were spilling down it's red cheeks as she urged her friends through the room.  
  
"Pikachu?" Misty asked, but Pikachu didn't even acknowledge the redhead as it passed.  
  
Ritchie, Gary and Brock rushed forward to see what was going on. What they saw totally shocked them.  
  
Charizard in the middle, walking slowly and carefully held a tiny bundle in his arms, his wings wrapped around in front as if trying the keep the cold from it. Bulbasaur and Chikorita stood a little behind, keeping the bystanders away from the big red dragon. Squirtle and Cyndaquil were walking in front, glaring at everyone, as if daring them to step forward. Mew floated from side to side, making sure to keep a pink bubble which surrounded her fellow pokemon and herself from unwanted pokeballs.  
  
"Kachupi!" Pikachu grabbed onto Gary's pant leg and pulled. "Pi!"  
  
Gary, confused as he was, walked up to the pokemon and to his surprise, Squirtle and Cyndaquil stepped aside to let him through. Then he waited as Charizard unfurled his wings.  
  
In his arms, was a very injured and barely breathing Ash.  
  
"Ash..." Gary smiled. His first smile in years. Then he noticed the wounds. "What happened to him?" He asked the pokemon frantically.  
  
When Ash heard his ex-best friend's voice, his deep brown eyes opened weakly. "Hey,... Ga... ry..." He gasped.  
  
Gary took Ash into his arms and carefully walked to the room where Ash had been staying in. Ash's pokemon followed, but they stayed at the door, guarding it so that no one could bother the two guys.  
  
"Ash," Gary used his nickname for Ash. "What happened?" He asked softly brushing the jet black bangs from Ash's face after placing him on the bed.  
  
Then at that moment Ash remembered what had happened a few days ago and he moved his head to face the wall, wincing that the pain that shocked through his body. "Nothing." His voice took a hard edge and he reverted back to Gary's real name.  
  
There was silence as he felt rather then heard Gary leave the room. "Why?" He whispered. He hadn't expected Gary to hear him, but the older boy did. "Why what? Why I pushed you away?" Gary watched as Ash nodded and closed his eyes.  
  
But all he did was sigh and squeeze as much water as he could from the facecloth he had gotten from the bathroom. He sat on the side of the bed and placed his palm gently on the black-haired boy's cheek, feeling him flinch like he was expecting to be hit. But Gary didn't hit him. Instead, he turned Ash's head so that he could wipe the blood off Ash's pale face, letting his cheek stay in his hands. It felt so soft. So perfect. "I didn't want to hurt you." He gently rooled Ash on his stomach so he could peel the shredded sweatshirt off.  
  
Ash didn't give him a response since the pain was so much. But he didn't scream. As much as he wanted to, he didn't. He dug his finger nails into the bed, and bit his lip, trying to ignore the throbbing pain all over his body as well as in his heart.  
  
Gary saw the pain that Ash was going through and he wanted to take the smaller, more fragile boy in his arms. To hold him and shield him from the world. That he knew he couldn't do, but he could do one thing. Which was to hold Ash in his arms.  
  
Despite the pain and his confusion, Ash rather enjoyed the embrace. In his head, he was overjoyed. 'Maybe he does feel for me after all!'  
  
But in Gary's head, he was thinking negatively. Holding unto Ash tightly, and still not willing to let go, he thought, 'Great. Now if he rejects me I would even have his friendship.' He held him even tighter, feeling Ash's chest against his own and played with Ash's black locks. 'At least I can hold him now while he can't move away...'  
  
Ash chuckled. 'He does so care for me!'  
  
Gary felt his 'rival' shake in his arms. He drew back a bit, glancing at Ash's face. He was... smiling?  
  
"I would hug you back, but I'm in a lot of pain right now..." He heard Ash say. The brunette smiled. 'He does have feelings for me!' He thought happy. Then Ash continued. "I... I need to tell you something..." Ash bit his lip harder, looking down at the floor. "I love you..." He whispered softly, but loud enough for Gary to hear.  
  
***  
  
Outside the door, Ritchie, Brock, Misty and all of Ash's pokemon heard the confession and they hoped for the best for their friends and trainer that everything would turn out alright.  
  
'Hurt him and I'll kill you!' Misty, Chikorita and Charizard thought since they were more violent then the rest.  
  
***  
  
Gary had to sit down. He slumped unto the floor, his head spining. 'He... loves me? He really does?' He asked again and again.  
  
Ash was afraid of the answer, but he looked up at Gary's face. There was no emotion there. He felt his heart shatter to bits and pieces. 'I guess I was wrong...' His head hurt badly. 'I need a Tylenol or something...' He thought to himself. Reaching for the edge of the bed, he stood up shakily. Something in his body was wrong. He could hardly move. The pain was unbearable.  
  
He limped past Gary, who still sat on the floor, his thoughts flying everywhere. His friends and pokemon stood at the door, but he limped past them too. Each time his one foot touched the ground, the pain in his head greatened. Fianlly he slumped to the hard ground and landed on his right arm. He felt something crack and heard Pikachu's voice, and then nothing...  
  
***  
  
"Pikapi!" Pikachu had followed her Ash, until he fell. She placed one paw on his forehead. He was burning up with a fever and the deep gashes were still gushing with blood. But something was wrong. Her trainer was so pale that he seemed almost white. His breaths were so shallow. She watched as he breathed and waited for him to exhale. When he didn't, she gently pushed his bare chest down so that he would.  
  
'I called Joy.' Mew spoke in her head.  
  
Pikachu looked up to see the pink cat-like monster floated above their trainer. [What is wrong with him?] She asked, the tears flowing down her cheeks for the tenth time today.  
  
She felt a bit of pink power enter Ash's body then watched it come back out. 'Poison...' Mew said gravely.  
  
"Chu! [No!]" The loyal pokemon wailed. Her cry was so pained that everyone in town heard it.  
  
"Chansey! Put him on the stretcher!" Nurse Joy said as she ran towards the unconscious boy and his pokemon. But before Chansey could lift a finger, Mew lifted him and gently placed him on the long white stretcher. Joy smiled briefly. "Thank you Mew."  
  
'You're welcome.' Mew replied.  
  
Ash was rushed directly to the emergency room where Nurse Joy and her Chansey did their best to heal him.  
  
***  
  
All the friends moved to the waiting room. It was crowded in there. It seemed like everyone wanted to know what would happen to their League Champion.  
  
'Ash...'  
  
Gary was sitting on the ground, his back to Ash's bed. He held the tiny scuplture that Ash had made for him, crying softly. As he cried, he didn't notice one of his monster come out of her ball.  
  
"Eev..." Eevee felt her trainer's grief. She placed her paws on Gary's shirt and licked the tears away, but they still kept on coming. The brunette took his pokemon in his arms and put the sculpture aside. He hugged Eevee closely, burying his head in her fluffy tail. "I'm so stupid, Eevee... How could I do this to him?" He whispered.  
  
"Ee..." Eevee tried to comfort her trainer.  
  
"If I had told him... in the first place, he wouldn't have gotten hurt..." He patted her head.  
  
"Chu..." Pikachu came to Joyn the two. She curled up in Gary's lap and tried to place her tiny arms around him. "Pika..." She comforted him, although she was crying as well.  
  
Gary scooped her up as well and hugged both his and Ash's first monster. "I'm sorry, Pikachu." He told her.  
  
As if understanding him, which known to him she did, she licked his cheek. "Chu." She said, saying that everything would be okay.  
  
Gary smiled slightly. Then he remembered the reason why he had yelled out. Ritchie and the others had tried to get him to buy Ash a present. And since Gary already knew how Ash felt about him, he needed to get him a present back. Then he had an idea, looking at the fragile sculpture that Ash made. He told the pokemon his plan. "Got it?" He asked, when he finished explaining.  
  
"Eevee!" "Pika!" They answered him and ran off.  
  
Gary watched them from Ash's room and smied. Their pokemon got along so well.  
  
***  
  
Misty and Ritchie and almost everyone in town waited for Nurse Joy to come out from the emergency room. They waited for the red light to signal to green. Brock was on the phone telling Tracey (who was away when Team Rocket destroyed Pallet Town and who was the successor of Prof Oak) about Ash. He finally got off when Tracey promised to come straight to the city they were in. Then he sat down with Misty and Ritchie. Ash's pokemon had already gone back into their balls.  
  
At last, when the light over the emergency room flashed to green, Nurse Joy came out, looking dishevelled and relieved but still she had a grave look on her face. She took one step and was mobbed by all the people waiting, led by Ash's frantic friends.  
  
"How is he?"  
  
"Is he okay now?"  
  
"What happened to him?"  
  
"Is he awake?"  
  
Nurse Joy held up one hand and everyone was silent. She took a deep breath and spoke. "Ash is better now-" There was a loud cheer. "But-" Everyone quieted down. "he will have deep scars on his back, several broken ribs and a broken arm."  
  
There was silence.  
  
Misty asked the dreaded question. "How did it happen?"  
  
Nurse Joy sat down in one of the seats offered to her. She ran one hand through her pick hair before answering. "I'm not completely sure, but I found traces of poison running through his veins..."  
  
Everyone gasped out loud.  
  
Nurse Joy continued, "most likely from the deep gash in his shoulder. He probably got it from a Beedrill or a Nidoran. Due to the huge blood loss, it didn't spread much, but it almost reached his head."  
  
A few people in the audience started crying for their League Champion. "Oh no..." Ritchie said, worried for his friend.  
  
Joy hated telling bad news, but they needed to know. "The cuts from his back where most likely from a Straiku. They're bandaged up now, but the last time I checked, they were still bleeding."  
  
"Didn't his pokemon protect him?" One person asked. It was a very noisy reporter.  
  
"His pokemon weren't there." Brock said sadly. "He ran off without them."  
  
The reporter wouldn't take such an absurb answer though. He wanted to know about Ash's Mew. "Didn't he have a Mew? It could've sensed that he was in danger."  
  
***  
  
Mew, in her poke-baruu was angered. This man was saying that either she was a bad monster, or that her trainer, Ash was a bad trainer.  
  
Her anger fuelled her powers reatly and she was able to burst from her ball to confront the man.  
  
***  
  
Everyone gasped at the sight of Ash's Mew. She was breathing heavily and a pick aura surrounded her. She thought-spoke to everyone in the room and whoever was listening. 'I am NOT a bad monster and Sato-chan is not a bad trainer! The only reason I couldn't sense him was because he was unconscious.'  
  
The reporter backed away. "Alright, alright..." He mumbled.  
  
There was silence in the room. No one wanted to anger the powerful monstuer. They all knew her powers were too great to mess with, which was one of the reasons that Ash was a League Champion. The other one was that he treated his pokemon like best friends, not like animals that he had to train.  
  
"Is he awake?" A little chinese boy asked. After watching Ketchum Ash's battle with all the gym leaders and the Elite Four, he simply adored him. Ash was his hero and now they were telling him that his hero was hurt badly. "I mean," the boy stammered when everyone looked at him, "he's my hero. Hero's can't die easily..."  
  
Misty patted the boy's head. He was crying and no one around seemed to comfort him. "Sh... it's ok." She hugged him then turned to Joy for the answer.  
  
Joy bit her lip. 'This isn't going to be easy...' She thought. Then she heard a voice inside her head. 'Just try your best. You already saved him from death. There's nothing much you can do now but wait.' It was Mew. She nodded, thanking the pink monster.  
  
"I... I'm not sure. He's not awake. He's... he's in a coma. I'm not sure if he'll ever want to wake up. It'll be up to him to make that decision."  
  
The little boy, Chi Fay, turned to Misty. "What's a coma?" He asked innocently, tears brimming in his eyes.  
  
Misty hugged him. "A deep sleep. A very deep sleep."  
  
to be continued...  
  
angel zeniko-chan, AKA Heart's Blood: Okay, I need some help. If you know a site where they translate pokemon names from english to japanese, then can you let me know? Or if you know them, send me the names, kudasai? I'd really appreciate it. Ja! Don't forget to read and review! 


	3. chapter 3

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Title: All Because of Christmas

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Author: Heart's Blood

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Email: zeni24@hotmail.com

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Rating: PG13 (For slight swearing and guys kissing)

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Summary: It's Christmas and Gary and Ash still hasn't told each other they loved the other. Their friends, Ritchie, Misty and Brock decide to play matchmaker, but it doesn't turn out like they expected... shounen ai

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Author's Notes: Ash gets visited by some angels...

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Disclaimer: I wish Pokemon was mine, but I don't think I'm smart enough to think of all those monsters and stuff... Only in my dreams...

*** change of POV or time gap

"speaking"

'thinking'

(author notes)

__

telepathetically

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All Because of Christmas

by: heart's blood

During the past few days, Chi Fay stayed with the friends in the pokemon center. He told them that he was homeless and familyless (is that a word?), but wanted to be a pokemon trainer like Ash.

When Nurse Joy heard this, she gladly registered him as an official trainer and gave him a choice of poekmon. He wanted a pikachu, same as Ash's first and he got one. He named it Ash, after his hero, always with faith that he'll soon get to meet the League Champion.

On the second day Misty, Ritchie and Brock met him, they found out that he was a very smart kid. He also had the innocent look and the determination that Ash always had. In very little time, his level 5 pikachu became a level 20 pikachu.

Brock, Misty, Tracey and Ritchie told him story after story, tale after tale about their adventures. Especially their adventures with Ash. His faith in his hero waking up grew and so did theirs. 

Gary spent most of his time with his Eevee and Ash's pokemon (whom have forgiven him). They comforted him, knowing that he was hurt just as much as they were, and it wouldn't help to hurt Ash some more. They helped him understand pokemon more, and he realized that it was because Ash knew all of this that he was the League Champion. With this knowledge, he became a much better trainer.

They told him that Ash truly loved him and he promised them that he would tell Ash right when he woke up.

***

(This is Ash's point of view when he is in his coma)

Where am I?

It's white...

Pure...

Holy...

...

No.

I can't...

Am I...

Dead?

Last thing I remember seeing was... Pikachu...

yelling...

falling...

CRACK!

Am I truly dead?

...

Wait...

A gate...

A yellow gate... And it sparkles... like gold.

And who's that? Two people... I feel like I should know them... They're just standing there... with their white robes and wings and the yellow halo on their heads...

Am I really dead?

...I do know these people...

"Mom? Dad?" I asked.

They came towards me. I ran to them as fast as I can, probably breaking some kind of record for the fastest sprinter... But before I knew it, I was covered in big hugs and I could feel white, fluffy wings holding me while kiss after kiss was placed on my head.

"I missed you so much!" I told them, but I had a feeling that they already knew.

They smiled. It was blurry, I think I was crying, but as blurry as it was, I could tell that they were just as emotional as me. "We've missed you too..." 

I don't recall hearing my dad's voice ever, but I was sure that this was my dad. Just the warmth and love in the voice surrounded me.

I listen intently as he continues talking. "I'm so proud of you, son. You've achieved everything that I wanted to achieve when I was young. I'm very proud of you."

My heart almost flew, hearing that. I've always seen other fathers tell their sons how proud they were of them, but I've never experienced it myself. Now I know why they always critisized me. Having a father in your life was a big thing.

As I watche, the smiles on my parents' faces slowly disappeared, as if they were remembering what they were supposed to do. "What's wrong?" I asked them.

"We want you to go back." Mom told me.

I looked at them confused. "But.. I'm dead... am I?"

Dad shook his head, the black hair boucing side to side. I knew where I got it now. The same spiky, yet silky hair that Pikachu always loves feeling. The reason why she's always on my shoulder.

"It's not your time. You still have to be a Pokemon Master." Dad ruffled my said hair.

"But..." I protested, "I want to stay here. With you." I pleaded.

They shook their heads. Then there was a blinding light and a saw the huge, golden gates of (what you should have figured out by now) Heaven open and 4 figures came out.

It was Gary's family.

"He misses you." His older sister, May told me. I used to have a crush on her, until I got to know her a lot more and I finally realized that my attention to the Oak family was for one of their memebers, just not for May. But even now when I looked at their faces, confused, even after seeing that familiar face and her expressions. "But I thought he hated me..."

"He doesn't hate you." He father told me. Gary has the same hair as his father, just like I have the same hair of my dad. 

"In fact, it's far from that." His mother chimed in. And when I looked into her stormy, blue-grey eyes, I knew that she was telling the truth. But I still wanted to stay.

"No buts." My mother took me by the shoulders and touched my nose with hers like she used to do when I was small. I grew much taller when she died, but she was still able to do that. "You still have a long life before you, my Ash. I want you to live happily."

I could feel the tears returning to my eyes and running down my already soaked face, but I nodded.

Everyone smiled and I felt the joy and happiness radiated from them.

"We're proud of you." Dad told me once more.

"Tell Gary that we're sorry and that we still love him." His mother said. "No matter what." 

May smiled. "Keep my brother in line, 'k Ash? Don't let him do things you don't want." I nodded and smiled. Somehow, I guess all the happiness in heaven was magnified to at least 100x, because it was so contagious.

"Tell Tracey Im really proud of how he's handling the Lab." Professor Oak said. 

Gary's family was the first to leave. They all gave me a hug. "I'd love a son-in-law." His mother told me and I could feel myself turning very red. She laughed and they walked back into the gate and disappeared.

"We'd love a son-in-law as well, my little trainer." Mom told me.

"Mom!" I turned even more red then I thought humanly possible.

"We love you." They hugged me and gave me one last kiss.

I was crying, but I hugged them back. "I love you too." I proceeded to walk away, but not before my father placed a hand over my head. "This is for all the brithday's I missed." He said, transmitting some kind of power to me. "I was a psychic trainer. Sabrina said it was one that was the most powerful. Now you have it." He hugged me again. "Become a Pokemon Master. Make us proud."

I smiled. "I will!" Glancing at them for one last time, I made a mental picture of them. Arms around each other, their wings pulled back, their halos floating just above their heads, and the golden gate looming peacefully behind them. "I will." I promised. And this was a promise I planned to never break.

"Take care now." I heard in my head, then I felt myself floating. Everything turned black and the next thing I knew, I woke up in a very white room. 'A hospital...' was my first thought.

***

Misty, Chi Fay and his pikachu were sitting by Ash's bed. There was silence all around them. Brock had gone out to do the groceries with Nurse Joy. Tracey and Ritchie had gone to sleep, having not felt well after dinner. Gary had gone to bed as well. He had spent many days by Ash's side and this was the one night where he was too tired to argue with Misty about staying at Ash's bedside.

"Misty? Will Ash ever wake up?" Chi Fay asked innocently, his brown eyes sparkling with hope.

Misty gave the small boy a hug. The innocent look on his face looked so much like Ash's. "I hope so." She answered. "I really hope so."

Chi Fay smiled and fell asleep. "It's your bedtime anyways..." She whispered and picked him up. "Ash, you better wake up... or else..." She said, walking to the door, Chi Fay's pikachu following loyally.

"Or else what?" A voice asked her.

Misty was startled that she almost dropped the boy in her arms. It sounded like... like Ash. "Ash?" She asked, turning.

It was him. His brown eyes sparkled in the light of the dim hospital lights and he no longer looked so pale. 

Ash nodded. He looked around before noticing the little boy in Misty's arms. "Hey! Did you and Ritchie have a kid while I was asleep?" He asked, yawning.

"What?!" Misty yelled out and pulled out her mallet. Before Ash could blink, he had a giant bump on his head. "Ouch!" He yelled. "Hey, a little consideration for the guy who almost got killed here!"

Then before he could move, his best friend flung herself against him, with the kid still in her arms and almost squeezed the life out of him.

"Hey, maybe being dead is better. If I knew that you were gonna kill me when I chose to live, I should have just stayed with my parents." He joked, but Misty looked at him with 'sorry' written all over her face. 

Ash laughed and Misty was glad that he was joking. "It's okay..."

Then she looked at him confused. "What do you mean stayed with your parents?" She asked.

Ash waved his hand around, grimacing at the pain. "Forget it. It's nothing. Nothing at all." Then he changed the subject. "Who's he?" He asked, pointed to Chi Fay who was just waking up having been deprived of his sleep.

Chi Fay, hearing his hero's voice was now wide awake. "I... I..." He stammered, nervously. "Hi..." He finally said very shyly.

Ash smiled at the little boy. "Hello. What's your name?" He asked gently.

Misty took this as her chance to tell the others that their friend was awake. She left the League Champion and his fan talking.

"Chi... Chi Fay..." Chi Fay blushed.

"Nice to meetcha, Chi Fay." Ash said with a smile. "How old are you?"

"S-seven..." The little boy nervously answered.

Then Ash noticed his pikachu. "Is that you first pokemon?" He asked, scratching the pikachu's chin. "Cha..." It said happily.

"You're welcome..." Ash told it. Then he turned his attention back to Chi Fay. "Where is your family?" He asked, wondering why the boy was there in the first place. He was shocked when the little chinese boy looked at the ground. His pikachu jumped into his arms and cuddled in his neck, just like Pikachu would do to Ash when he was sad. 

"I... I don't have any..." He confessed.

Ash looked at the little boy. Chi Fay had started to cry. He took one hand and patted Chi Fay's head, ignoring the pain that shoot through that arm. "It's ok... Don't cry..."

When Chi Fay's tears stopped, he said, "I don't have a family either... My father left me and my mother when I was born and my mother died awhile ago..." Then he looked closely at the boy and noticed that he looked very similar to him. They looked almost like brothers. Both had longish, jet black hair and deep understanding eyes, filled with innocence. "You could be my brother... I never had one..." He said, thoughtfully.

Chi Fay jumped at the chance. "R-really?" He asked. It wasn't everyday that a hero would ask a little boy to be his family and he wanted to make sure that he wasn't dreaming or something. He neede to be sure.

"Really." Ash confirmed and Chi Fay was filled with joy. "Come give your big brother hug." Ahs opened his arms and Chi Fay flew in them happily, almost throwing both boys off the bed.

"Ouch... I really should stop moving..." Ash muttered to himself.

Chi Fay looked at Ash with concern in his eyes. He had forgotten that his hero- no brother was still hurt badly. "I-I'm sorry... big brother."

Ash sank back into the pillows, giving his younger brother a tiny smile. "No problem, Fay. Now go to bed and get some sleep." Chi Fay nodded and walked to the door. "Nite, Ash."

"Nite little bro." He answered and yawned himself.

When Chi Fay and his pikachu walked out, Ash looked at the ceiling. 'Man... I really gotta start to work out again... I missed all the exercise I could've done during these past... how many days was I out for?' He asked himself. 'I really gotta ask someone.' 

The next person to walk in the door was none other then... Gary...

The brunette stood at the doorway, leaning on the doorframe. He looked as if he hadn't slept at all. His hair was messed up to one side and his eyes were bloodshot. He had a big purple sweatshirt on which covered his muscles (unfortunately for Ash) and a pair of black jeans. "Hey Ash. You're alright." It was more of a statement then a question. 

"Hey... Gary..." Ash replied with a hint of a smile. "I'm alright. Other then being hooked onto all these machines and not being able to move, but you don't look okay."

"Don't rub it in." Gary said, playing with his messy brown hair.

To tell the truth, Ash was anything but okay. He was laying down on a white hospital bed and every part of his body other then his head was hooked up to the machines which sat beside him. His green sweatshirt was torn up in tatters so Ash was shirtless other then having all the bandages around his chest to hold his ribs in place. He also had a bandage around his forehead, making it look like a band since it made his hair fall over it and over his eyes.

But to Gary, he still looked as beautiful as he always did. Then Gary noticed that he was staring. He looked away quickly and blushed slightly.

If Ash saw it, he didn't say anything. At first he thought that maybe, just maybe, Gary would... 'no.' Ash dismissed the thought from his mind. "So... you wanna sit down?" He waved to a chair.

Gary nodded and sat down wordlessely.

There was silence...

"How long was I out?" Ash asked quietly.

"About a week."

Ash winced. 'A week of vigorous training for me...' He thought. "Where are the others? Pikachu and them?"

"Sleeping." Came the next one word answer.

"Oh..." Ash said. 'Stupid! Of course they'll be asleep!' He lay there, staring at the ceiling, deep in thought.

Finally it was Gary who broke the silence. "Here." He handed a wrapped gift to Ash. "I know Christmas has passed, but..." He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Ash smiled, acccepting the gift. "Thanks." He indicated to it silently asking if he could open it. When Gary nodded, he gently tugged on the ribbon and opened the box that was wrapped inside. His eyes widened and he smiled at Gary, unable to express his thanks.

Inside was a sculpture of a pikachu. Ash's pikachu. She was curled up and smiling sleepily. 

"That's not all..." Gary said and Ash looked at him. confused. The brunette smiled and pulled out another sculpture. It was the one that Ash had given to him for his christmas present. He put it together with Pikachu and it fit perfectly.

"Wow..." Ash breathed out. It looked so real.

"And this..." Gary said and gently kissed Ash on the lips. Ash's eyes widened, but he didn't pull away. 

When Gary finally pulled away, he took his hands and looked at the smaller boy in the eye. "I love you too." He confessed and pulled Ash into another heartmelting kiss.

Ash smiled and kissed him back. "I'm glad..." He gently whispered in Gary's silky hair.

"Don't ever leave me like that again..." Gary pleaded almost to tears.

"I won't... I won't leave... ever again..." Ash said, hugging the daylights out of Gary. "I'll kill myself before I hurt you like that..."

"No!" Gary protested, grabbing onto Ash itghter, making him wince at the pain shooting through his ribs. "I'm joking..." Ash said. "Don't kill me, please." He yawned.

Gary noticed that his beloved was tired. "Go to sleep, love."

Ash shook his head, but was too tired too protest. "Only if you do too..." He trailed off, falling asleep in Gary's protective arms.

Gray gave him a feathery kiss on the lips before he too fell asleep, his head on the hospital bed.

***

"40, 41, 42... 43... SHIT!" Ash yelled out as he rolled on his back. It had been two week since he had been rushed to the Pokemon Center.He was feeling much better, but everyone, Gary and Chi Fay especially were pampering him like a baby.

Gary didn't want his love to leave ever again, or to get hurt so he was with him almost 24/7. Chi Fay didn't want to lose his new brother and idol, so he went along with the 24/7 thing too.

At this moment, both had gone to get lunch ready, sure that Ash shouldn't be able to hurt himself in his room, but unknown to them, Ash had other plans. He had lost many pounds during the past few weeks and looked pale and skinny. Almost weak, so he decided that he should work out again. He was currently doing push-ups, but his shoulder was the culprit that irritated him. 

"Ash!" Gary came running into his room. " How many times do I have to tell you to take it easy?"

"Too many..." Ash smiled weakly, still lying on the floor of his room.

"Pikapi! [Ash!]" Pikachu warned him, the sparks on her cheeks, appearing.

"I'm not a baby you know..." He gave them a goofy smile. "I won't hurt myself."

"You keep telling yourself that and maybe we might believe you..." Gary said, and without warning, he picked Ash up like a baby, with one arm under Ash's legs and the under around his back.

"Hey!" Ash protested against the treatment. "You don't have to carry me to lunch."

Gary smiled at the younger boy in his arms and kissed him on the forehead. "But I want to. Come on Pikachu!"

"Pi! [Okay!]" Pikachu ran beside Gary and jumped in Ash's arms. "Hey girl." He said, scratching her ears back and rubbing her chin.

"Chaa..." Pikachu purred.

The older boy smiled at his boyfriend and his Pikachu.

***

"Chi Fay! Chi Fay! Where are you?" Ash ran around looking for his adopted little brother. He had legally adopted him and no one protested.

"As long as he doesn't get in our way." Gary said, kissing Ash when the Pokemon League Champion had asked his advice.

"He's a good boy." Ash replied before kissing back.

Now Ash was running around the Pokemon Center looking for his little brother. "Fay? Where are you?" He repeated, louder, heading to his own room. There he heard some sniffling and proceeded to check it out. "Fay?" He asked, cautiously peeking his head in the doorway.

There he saw his little brother sitting on the ground and crying in his own blankets.

"Fay?" Ash asked, patting the boy's head. "What's wrong?"

"Big brother..." He heard Fay whisper. "Please don't leave me..."

Ash was confused. 'Leave him? Why would I leave him?' He took the sobbing boy in his arms and. "Chi Fay... I would never leave you..." He murmered, hugging the boy close to his heart.

Chi Fay looked at his big brother. "Really?" He asked, his sobs subsiding.

Ash smiled. "Really. You're all the family I have. I wouldn't leave you behind for the world." He told Chi Fay.

The smaller black haired boy squealed and hugged his big brother. He had been afraid because once Ash heals, then he would leave on his pokemon journey to train. He told his brother his fear.

His brother laughed. "I would never leave you!"

"Then what about you pokemon journey?" He asked tearfully.

Ash gave him an amused look. "Yo're coming too! You want to be a trainer right?" Chi Fay nodded then smiled. He was going too! He jumped for joy in his brother's arms.

Ash patted his head. "Now get some sleep. We're leaving early tomorrow morning." He already felt the little boy sleeping in his arms. He lifted the tiny body up and placed him gently on the bed. Covering him with the blanket, he kissed Chi Fay's forehead. "Night, little bro." Then he walked out to join Gary.

When he got to Gary's room, he found him sleeping peacefully already.

Ash bent down to kiss Gary gently before laying down beside him. Gary had saved him some space to sleep as well. "Sweet dreams, love." He said, falling asleep, molded into Gary's chest as the white fluffy snow fell onto the ground, and over the Pokemon Center where Ash and Gary, and their friends were sleeping. The full moon shone brightly, depicting the beginning of a new year. A year full of surprises, of friendship and of love.

The End

*Heart's Blood*: how was that? Sappy? Good? Bad? Let me know! Domo arigato gozimasu for reading! (Thank you very much!)


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